O. Janne Kjønaas
Research Professor
Authors
Carl-Fredrik Johannesson H. Ilvesniemi O. Janne Kjønaas K.S. Larsen A. Lehtonen Jenni Nordén D. Paré Hanna Marika Silvennoinen J. Stendahl I. Stupak L. Vesterdal Lise DalsgaardAbstract
Nordic and Canadian forests store substantial amounts of carbon (C) and are largely managed in a silvicultural system with clear-cut harvest. Previous meta-analyses of harvesting effects on soil C have shown short- to long-term declines after harvest, but effects of clear-cutting on boreal and northern temperate forest soil C stocks remain unresolved. We harmonized National Forest Soil Inventory (NFSI) data from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Canada to examine soil C stocks up to 53 years following clear-cut harvest using a space-for-time approach. We analyzed forest floor and mineral soil C stocks in coniferous and deciduous/mixed forests. Coniferous forest floor C stocks decreased for ∼30 years after clear-cutting: when at its lowest stock level, Picea and Pinus forest floor C stocks had decreased by 23 % and 14 % relative to initial stock levels, respectively. Picea forest floor C stocks then remained close to its lowest levels until 53 years after clear-cutting, while for Pinus-dominated forests they increased again and recovered to the pre-harvest level 48 years after clear-cutting. No C stock changes were detected in the 0–10 cm or 10–20 cm mineral soil layers, while a small increase in 55–65 cm mineral soil was detected in Podzol soils. Data was too limited to detect statistical signals of clear-cutting for deciduous/mixed forests. Our results shows that clear-cut harvest has substantial and long-lasting effects on northern temperate and boreal forest soil C storage, and that combining data from several NFSIs can help elucidate forest management effects on soil C storage. Soil organic carbonForest harvestClear-cuttingBorealTemperateNational forest inventoryNational forest soil inventory
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Lisa Fagerli Lunde Tone Birkemoe Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson Johan Asplund Rune Halvorsen O. Janne Kjønaas Jenni Nordén Sundy Maurice Inger Skrede Line Nybakken Håvard KauserudAbstract
Boreal forests are important carbon sinks and host a diverse array of species that provide important ecosystem functions.Boreal forests have a long history of intensive forestry, in which even-aged management with clear-cutting has been thedominant harvesting practice for the past 50–80 years. As a second cycle of clear-cutting is emerging, there is an urgentneed to examine the effects of repeated clear-cutting events on biodiversity. Clear-cutting has led to reduced numbers ofold and large trees, decreased volumes of dead wood of varied decay stages and diameters, and altered physical andchemical compositions of soils. The old-growth boreal forest has been fragmented and considerably reduced. Here,we review short- and long-term (≥50 years) effects of clear-cutting on boreal forest biodiversity in four key substrates:living trees, dead wood, ground and soil. We then assess landscape-level changes (habitat fragmentation and edge effects)on this biodiversity. There is evidence for long-term community changes af